US and Ethiopia military personnel are conducting joint training on African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops.
AMISOM soldiers on Monday 20/3/2017 gathered in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa for the joint training aimed at countering threat posed by Islamist terrorist group, Harakat Shabab Mujahideen (HSM), better known as Al-Shabaab.
The ‘2017 Justified Accord Military Exercise’ is the first training of a kind held in Ethiopia and jointly organized the U.S and Ethiopian armed forces.
According to U.S military source, AMISOM members from Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, as well as Somali soldiers, were attending the training facilitated by the US. Other partners include, the Netherlands, Britain, the AU and the UN.
About 100 participants from a total of eight nations are taking part in the training expected to take one week.
According to Brigadier Jon A. Jensen, Deputy Commander of the US Army in Africa, the soldiers training will be followed with a more intense field exercise in 2018.
Brigadier Jensen noted that these training are not part of AMISOM exit strategy but are meant to arm the soldiers better in combating terrorists especially in the East Africa region.
Also, he noted Al-Shabaab’s fighting capability has declined by up to 40 per cent in recent years, but emphasized on the militants ability to use suicide bombs and detonators has increased.
